But the veteran guard delivered a compliment about two weeks ago when he said in no way is Bickerstaff viewed as a pushover, substitute teacher.

“He’s challenging us every day,” said Evans, who is not with the team as Grizzlies brass work on trading him before the Feb. 8 deadline.

Memphis suffered its fourth defeat in the past five games after losing, 104-102, to the Detroit Pistons Thursday night in Little Caesar Arena. Griz center Marc Gasol tried to put the team on his shoulders late. They trailed by a point with 22 seconds left when Gasol charged to the basket but misfired on two attempts to take a lead.

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Several players ended up diving on the floor for a loose ball. The Pistons won a jump ball with seven seconds left. The Grizzlies were forced to foul Anthony Tolliver. His two free throws made it a three-point game. Detroit fouled Memphis guard Wayne Selden to prevent a three-point attempt to tie.the score.

Still, the Grizzlies were a tough out against an opponent vying for the postseason just as they were the night before in a four-point loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Bickerstaff is as demanding and driven to win just as his predecessor, David Fizdale. The message for the Grizzlies’ young, available players is simple: Don’t quit on the season because of the franchise’s predicament.

Evans is away because of a possible trade. Mike Conley recently underwent surgery to repair his left heel, and hasn’t played since Nov. 13. Chandler Parsons (right knee soreness) remains out of the rotation, and several other players have been in and out of the lineup due to various injuries or illnesses.

Player development and creating winning habits remains a priority for Bickerstaff.

“You’re going to play the right way no matter what,” Bickerstaff said. “No matter what you get, it’s going to be earned. Just because Mike is hurt, Tyreke is absent and you’re getting opportunities to play, we’ve got enough guys who are going to hold one another accountable. If you’re not playing the way the team wants to play and you’re not playing unselfish and playing hard, there’s room on that bench for you to sit down.”

Memphis Grizzlies interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff calls to players in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)(Photo: Brandon Dill, AP)

The Grizzlies welcomed back James Ennis, JaMychal Green and Deyonta Davis in hopes of spoiling Blake Griffin’s debut with the Pistons. Griffin, with welcoming T-shirts draping arena seats serving as a backdrop, played his first game in Detroit since moving from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Bickerstaff reiterated the Grizzlies’ desire to move Evans, who has drawn interest from several playoff teams. Memphis would like to receive a first-round draft pick in any deal involving Evans.

“They’re involved in conversations,” Bickerstaff said about the Grizzlies’ front office adding that Evans will be missed.

“Tyreke is 20 points a night for us,” Bickerstaff said. “So, you have to find guys who have to chip in and cover for that. Not one guy is going to replace what Mike Conley does or what Tyreke does.

“The message is just because the circumstances may not be the playoffs, there’s a right way to play the game. You’re going to be held to a standard that we believe in. If you’re not at that standard, you can take a seat.”

Odds and ends

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol recorded his 21st double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds... Memphis is 0-6 on the road against the Eastern Conference… Griz guard Andrew Harrison amassed 18 points, four rebounds and career-high tying eight assists.

Quotes of note

Bickerstaff on the difference in the game: “Free throws. Bottom line. Our guys compete way too hard for us to be put in this situation night after night. Thirty-seven to 14, you can’t overcome that. We ask for help, we ask for clarification. ‘What are we doing?’, ‘How do we defend without fouling?’ Whatever call they’re making. We need help, obviously. But you can’t overcome a disparity like that and our guys are competing way too hard. They’re putting pressure on the rim, just like everybody else. We’re driving, we’re aggressive, we’re playing physical, we’re playing the game the right way. But you cannot overcome a disparity like that.”

Gasol on if the goal is to put yourself in position to win in the final minute: “The goal should be to win it. But, obviously you can see things clicking and switches being turned on for a lot of guys where they understand now ‘Well if I do this, not only am I going to play more, but I’m helping the team win.’ Guys building their toughness up, the ball is moving great. Obviously, we’re going to make more shots, I’m sure. Guys will keep building their confidence, and defensively, it’s a matter of discipline and instinctive energy.”

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy on Griffin’s debut: “We were plus-23 with him on the floor so we were fairly dominant in that time and struggled slightly in the 13 minutes he was on the bench when we got outscored by 21. That’s two games in a row where our starters have played very well and our bench, I don’t know, I have to give more thought to the rotation again. I don’t really know the answer, but we just didn’t get a lot out of our bench.”

Griffin on fitting in with the Pistons: “I wanted to just come out and play hard, being very limited in my knowledge of our offense. I thought Coach Van Gundy did a great job of just putting in five things that we could go to, and we ran them to death. But they worked and everybody just played hard.”